Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording sheet for an ink jet-recording system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording sheet having an enhanced jet ink-fixing property and capable of recording thereon stable ink images which have excellent water resistance and light fastness. Therefore, the ink in the recorded images does not blot from the images even in a high humidity atmosphere and the recorded images are not deteriorated even when exposed to light irradiation over a long time.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the ink jet recording sheet has an ink receiving layer capable of being heat-sealed with a heat-sealant tape or stamp, and this is usable as a packing sheet for an article and the packed article can be sealed by the heat sealant tape or stamp.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the ink jet receiving sheet has an ink receiving layer formed on a surface of a support sheet and a heat-bonding layer formed on the opposite surface of the support sheet, and is usable as a packing sheet, sealing portions of the packing sheet being capable of being heat-sealed between the ink-receiving layer surface and the opposite heat-bonding layer surface.
Description of the Related Art
It is known that a conventional ink jet recording sheet is prepared by impregnating a support sheet with a mixture of inorganic particles, which can absorb a recording ink, with a binder or by coating a surface of a support sheet with a coating liquid containing inorganic particles, which can absorb a recording ink, and a binder, by using a blade coater, a bar coater, or a roll coater, to form an ink receiving layer on the surface of the support sheet. Accompanying the recent expansion in use of the ink jet recording sheet, the resultant ink images formed on an ink receiving layer of the ink jet recording sheet are required to exhibit enhanced water resistance and light fastness.
However, the conventional ink receiving layer of the ink jet recording sheet, comprising inorganic pigment particles and a binder is disadvantageous in that the ink images recorded on the ink receiving layer exhibit not only an unsatisfactory light fastness but also an insufficient water resistance and a poor resistance to bloting of the ink when left to stand in a high humidity atmosphere.
Also, since the conventional ink receiving layer formed on a surface of a support sheet and comprising the inorganic pigment particles has an insufficient heat-sealing property, when the ink jet recording sheet is used as a packing sheet and sealing end portions of the packing sheet are sealed by a heat-sealant, the ink receiving layer surface cannot be heat-bonded to an opposite surface of the support sheet, unless the opposite surface of the support sheet has a heat-bonding property. Namely, when the opposite surface of the support sheet has no heat-bonding property, the ink jet recording sheet used as a packing sheet cannot be sealed at the sealing end portions thereof by a heat-sealing method.